Knowledge, Attitude And Practice Of Oral Hygiene Among Public And Private Secondary School Students

This study was aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice of oral hygiene among public and private secondary school students. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design. The target population was students in public and private senior secondary schools in Enugu state, Nigeria. A stratified sampling technique was used to derive 248 students from the total population. The instrument used in the study was a self-designed questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean, frequency and percentages. Findings showed that majority of the respondents (54.8%) know that plaque is bacterial/germ deposits on tooth surfaces, (68.5%) that plaque can be prevented by brushing teeth at least twice a day, and (56.85%) know that poor oral health causes periodontal disease. From the findings on attitudes, majority of the respondents, (63.3%)strongly agree that caring for the mouth is as important as caring for other parts of the body and (72.9%) strongly disagreed that oral hygiene is not really important to health. Findings on the level of practice show that majority of respondent (97.5%) of respondent clean their teeth, and (48.4%) brush their teeth twice a day. Lastly, findings on the factors influencing good oral hygiene show that majority of the respondent, (43.1%) make use of medium tooth brush, most of the respondent, (46.4%) use the combined method of brushing, and (96.8%) use tooth paste containing fluoride. The study concluded that negative oral health attitude could affect students’ oral health status and their role in oral health education.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Oral health is a state of being free from chronic mouth and facial pain, oral and throat cancer, oral infection and sores, periodontal (gum) disease, tooth decay, tooth loss and other diseases and disorders that limit an individual’s capacity in biting, chewing, smiling, speaking and psychosocial wellbeing (Peres, Macpherson, Weyant, Daly, Venturelli, Mathur, & Watt, 2019).Oral health affects the general health, wellbeing, education and development of children and their families and diminishes the quality of life.The value of good oral hygiene practices has increased over the years and studies indicate that the removal of bacteria plaque is essential for the prevention of the two most common dental conditions such as dental caries and periodontal disease (Portella, Rocha, Haddad, Fortes, Hugo, Padilha, & Samuel, 2017).

Globally, complete tooth loss is pervasive, especially among older people (Jin, Lamster, Greenspan, Pitts, Scully, &Warnakulasuriya, 2016). Based on screened population in Port Harcourt done in Alakahia and Oyigbo rural communities in year 2016 by university of Port Harcourt teaching hospital final year medical students, results showed that 1/3 had dental caries, most respondents had fair and poor oral hygiene, 12.5% had good oral hygiene out of which 69.4% were females,19.1% had poor oral hygiene and 70.6% were males. Prevalence of gingivitis was 92% and dental caries was 23.1%.

It has been consistently reported that over 70% of adult Nigerians have periodontal disease, a condition strongly associated with oral hygiene status (Olusile, Adeniyi, &Orebanjo, 2018). Although the prevalence of dental caries is low in Nigeria; between 10% and 20%; it remains a disease of public health interest because most carious lesions remain untreated.Therefore, to achieve and maintain good oral hygiene, and prevent dental caries and periodontal disease, regular tooth brushing using fluoride- containing toothpaste at least twice a day is recommended. The use of dental floss and other oral hygiene aids items for the cleaningof contact surfaces is also important for effective plaque removal. The most widely used oral hygiene aids are toothbrushes and toothpaste. Other oral hygiene aids include dental floss, wood stick, interdental brush and interproximal brush. These products are used based on personal choice or advice from oral health- care workers. Socioeconomic status, information from media (advertisements), and material properties such as taste, flavour, colour and appearance have been reported to influence the choice of an oral hygiene aids product (Pereira, & Van der Bilt, 2016).

According to Daly, Batchelor, Treasure, and Watt (2017), a good oral health knowledge and attitude implies that an individual understands the importance of maintaining good oral health and is also disposed to having the proper perceived oral health needs.Oral diseases are the most common non- communicable diseases and affect people throughout their lifetime causing pain, discomfort, disfigurement and even death. The Global Burden of Disease Study (2018) estimated that oral diseases affected half of the world’s population with dental caries (tooth decay) in permanent teeth being the most prevalent condition assessed.Nurses play a prominent role in providing health services, along with doctors. At present, their role in dentistry is negligible as they have less training and knowledge regarding the instruments and methods in this field. However, nurses can be effectively utilized to improve oral health awareness among the public. Walid, Nasir, and Naidoo, (2018)and Tetuan (2018) have proposed that oral health should receive greater importance in the nursing curriculum which should include many clinical hands�'on courses in diagnosing the oral diseases Rak and Warren (2016) stated that a special nursing study group should be established to review the research, practice, and current literature on oral care and the inclusion of the dental team is essential in that.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Oral conditions are the most common conditions of human kind affecting 3.9 billion people untreated oral disease is a worldwide issue affecting more than half of the population (Jin et al., 2016). According to the global burden of disease study (2018), untreated tooth decay is the most common condition among 291 diseases, holding rank as the 36th most prevalent condition. Most common childhood disease is dental caries and it is on the rise. Dental caries cause lasting harm to a child’s oral and general health and impact social and intellectual development. Majority of dental decay remains untreated due to inappropriate, unavailable, unaffordable oral healthcare services. Gingivitis is prevalent at all ages and over 90% of the world’s population has chronic gingivitis to some degree which could lead to periodontitis, tooth mobility and tooth loss (Kinane, Stathopoulou, &Papapanou, 2017). It is also possible that increases seen in untreated caries and severe periodontitis in younger age groups, in regions where oral healthcare may be compromised, could lead to increased tooth loss in these areas in the future. High prevalence is seen in areas where oral healthcare is compromised (Kinane, Stathopoulou, &Papapanou, 2017).

Although nurses play an important as well prominent role in providing health services, along with the physicians, in recent cases, their role in dentistry seems to be negligible as they have less training and knowledge regarding the instruments, materials, equipment, and methods in this branch (Walid, Nasir, & Naidoo, 2018). However, the nurses can be effectively employed to promote dental and oral health awareness among the general public. The oral health should receive greater importance in the nursing curriculum which would include many clinical hands�'on courses on identification and diagnosis of dental and oral diseases (Tetuan, 2018). It is against this background that the researcher carried out this study on the knowledge, attitude and practice of oral hygiene among public and private secondary school students in Enugu state.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The purpose of the study is to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of oral hygiene among public and private secondary school students in Enugu state.Specifically, the objectives of the study are as follows:

1. To examine the level of knowledge of oral hygiene among the secondary school students in private and public secondary schools in Enugu state
2. To assess the attitude of nursing student towards oral hygiene in private and public secondary schools in Enugu state
3. To assess the level of practice of oral hygiene among secondary school students in private and public secondary schools in Enugu state?
4. To determine the factors that influence the practice of oral hygiene among secondary school students in private and public secondary schools in Enugu state

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What is the level of knowledge of oral hygiene among the secondary school students in private and public secondary schools in Enugu state?
2. What is the attitude of nursing student towards oral hygiene in private and public secondary schools in Enugu state?
3. What is the level of practice of oral hygiene among secondary school students in private and public secondary schools in Enugu state?
4. What are the factors that influence the practice of oral hygiene among secondary school students in private and public secondary schools in Enugu state?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

HO1: There is no significant relationship between knowledge of oral hygiene and practice amongsecondary school students in private and public secondary schools in Enugu state

HO2: There is no significant relationship between knowledge of oral hygiene and attitude amongsecondary school students in private and public secondary schools in Enugu state

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will be of great significance to the secondary school students, the health sector and the academia. Findings from this study will widen the knowledge base of secondary school students on problems associated with oral hygiene and also way of solving and preventing problems associated with oral hygiene. Furthermore, result from this research will provide data about the level of knowledge and practice of oral hygiene which would assist Universities to review the curricular and plan educational strategies and campaigns that would focus on identified areas of knowledge deficit. The result of this study will benefit the university students also the society at large as early prevention and detection of problems associated with oral hygiene would help save the teeth and improve the rate of good oral hygiene.Lastly, the findings of this study will contribute to existing body of knowledge on the subject matter as well as provide empirical literature for future studies in related areas.

ABSTRACT

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

2.1.1 CONCEPT OF ORAL HEALTH

2.2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN

3.2 TARGET POPULATION

3.3 SAMPLING

3.4 INSTRUMENT FOR DATA COLLECTION

3.5 METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 RESULTS SND DISCUSSION

4.1 RESULTS

4.2 DISCUSSION

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

5.1 CONCLUSION

5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS

REFERENCES

APPENDIX

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• Knowledge, Attitude And Practices Of Rabies Among Residence
• Menstrual Hygiene: Knowledge, Attitude And Practice Amongst Adolescent In Community Secondary School
• Knowledge, Attitude And Perceptions Of Students Of Business Studies Trainee-Teachers And Classroom Conduct In Nigeria
• Knowledge, Attitude, And Practice Of Biosafety And Biosecurity Among Laboratory Workers
• Knowledge, Attitude And Practice Of Hand Washing Among Market Women In Pankshin District
• Knowledge, Attitude And Practice Of Standard Precautions Among Healthcare Workers

• Public Health / Community Health Project Topics and Materials